


You Think You Have Daddy Issues?

by Anonymous



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Daddy Issues, Demons, F/F, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Minor Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Possessive Behavior, Protective Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:37:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Akanthea Nightshade is a halfling. Half human, half demon. Her father is Alastor and she was born in 1940, but still looks like she's in her 20s. Her father wanted a child like his biggest rival, but was far more possessive of his child. Akanthea has spent the last 70 years learning about her powers and hiding from her father after Ann accident. When Akanthea hears about the Hazbin Hotel and Alastor is "helping" she is quick to tell Charlie to stop accepting his help. But when Charlie's parents come back, things get heated.
Relationships: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Female Character(s), Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Lilith Magne/Lucifer Magne
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Prologue

_New Orleans-1948_

_Alastor picked up a picture of his beloved daughter Akanthea. His little thorn, his little poison flower. His daughter. He traces the outline of her dark hair and pretty eyes that are green, but the picture doesn't show it. His sweet little girl. Finding a woman was easy enough to have his child was easy enough. Convincing the woman to keep his daughter was quite another. Alastor scowls at all of the memories and orders he gave Evelyn, mixed in with threats._

_He feels a tug on his jacket. He turns to see his shadow impatiently pointing to the time._

_"Ah yes. Time to see my little girl," Alastor smiles wider._

_Alastor fixed his red suit as the nervous woman, Evelyn, walked toward him. The mother of his child, he didn't care much for the mother, but the child he adored. But where was Akanthea? Alastor takes a closer look at the woman, clearly distraught, but not because of him. For once which means something's happened to Akanthea._

_"Where's my daughter?" Alastor demands._

_"I'm sorry," Evelyn whispers. "I don't know. The police have been looking for a week, but nothing has come-"_

_"You didn't think to summon me?" Alastor hissed, his pointed teeth still carved into a smile but his eyes were full of anger and malice._

_"I'm sorry!"_

_Without hesitation, Alastor stabs the woman through the heart with his cane. Blood gets on his suit but he shrugs, what's important is finding his little poison flower. And using his and Evelyn's blood will help him track her, after all blood is thicker than water..._

_Meanwhile Akanthea is running through the streets, trying to get away from the people who found about her powers and her eyes. Normally they were a deep green but they had flicked back to yellow, like-_

_"Daddy?" Akanthea whispers._

_Sure enough, Alastor is there, smiling down at his daughter._

_"Oh my sweet little poison flower! Where have you been?" Alastor asks, his smile at odds with the stern tone._

_"Hey!" a man growls. "Back away from the girl! She's-"_

_"My darling daughter? Indeed she is!" Alastor smiles, picking up the ten year old, ignoring the discomfort sound coming from her._

_Akanthea closes her eyes. She doesn't want to do this. That's why she ran away. She didn't want to be with Daddy! She loved Mommy but Mommy was too scared to run away, so Akanthea did it by herself, like a big girl._

_"She's a demon!" the man snaps, backed up by several more men._

_"Correction my good man, she's_ half _demon. I should know, since I'm her demonic father," Alastor croons, stroking his daughter's black hair, soothing her._

_Akanthea knows what he's going to do next. He's done it to other people and she has seen him hurt Mommy without touching her._

_"D-daddy, don't!" Akanthea begs, grabbing his jacket._

_"Hush my sweet girl," Alastor orders._

_Akanthea becomes quiet due to her father's powers. She's also hugging Daddy, like he's saved her. She squeezes her eyes shut, but it doesn't do anything to help block out the scary noises._

_"What did you do to my little girl?" Alastor demands._

_"Nothing..." the men say._

_"But you scared her. What were you going to do?"_

_"N-nothing!"_

_"Lies. Akanthea, you know daddy doesn't like lies, right?"_

_Akanthea doesn't respond, but tries to get away and sends the men a silent message: run._

_The men try to leave, but Alastor keeps them in place, hugging his squirming daughter._

_"What. Were. You. Going. To. Do. To. My. Daughter?" Alastor hisses, voice becoming distorted like a radio announcer during static._

_"We were going to try and kill her!" the men admit._

_"Well then. Hurting my little girl? Shame on you. Good thing my little girl is immortal and can never be killed."_

_Akanthea suppresses a whimper as Alastor nuzzles her._

_With a even more deranged smile, Alastor snaps his fingers and the men fall to the ground, heads exploding and getting blood everywhere. It's on Akanthea and Alastor. The blood is warm and sticky and gross._

_Akanthea wants to run away, to get out of her daddy's arms and run. But she can't. He's holding onto her too tightly. So she cries as he carries her away._

_"Daddy, I want to go home," Akanthea whispers. "I want Mommy."_

_"Mommy was bad. So you're staying with Daddy. Doesn't that sound nice my little darkling?" Alastor smiles, petting Akanthea._

_No._

_"What was that Akanthea?" Alastor asks._

_Oh no. She said it out loud. Daddy didn't like it when she said no._

_"I just want to go home Daddy," Akanthea whispers._

_"Well, let's go home. You can see Mommy for-"_

_BANG!_

_A gunshot pierces the night. Akanthea hugs Alastor tightly. Please no more killing. No more blood. Alastor sets down the little girl and hides her._

_"Stay here. I'll protect you," Alastor promises._

_Akanthea nods. She watches as her dad meets the people who were shooting._

_"You're a demon," one says._

_"Indeed I am. What are you going to do my good sir?" Alastor asks._

_"Send you back."_

_"Well, let me get my daughter and I won't come back here!"_

_"No. Leave the girl alone," the man says. "We know what you did to the girl's mother. You're not going to take her anywhere."_

_"I am her father! You cannot-!"_

_Alastor is cut off by the man chanting strange words and Alastor runs to Akanthea, trying to reach her, but someone keeps her out of his reach._

_"Akanthea!" Alastor screams._

_"Daddy," she whispers, reaching out as well._

_But Alastor is gone before she can touch him. The last thing she sees on her father's face is a look of anger mixed with desperation._

_A woman comes up to her._

_"Do you know what your daddy is?" she asks._

_Akanthea nods._

_"Do you want him back?"_

_Akanthea shakes her head._

_"Okay. We can take you to a place where he can't find you," the woman promises._

_"Okay."_

_But it isn't. She can hear the whispers of the people there, wondering how she was alive and why a demon would be so possessive of a child, even if she was its daughter._

_Meanwhile, Alastor is fuming. He can't get up to the top world again now that he's killed Evelyn. He needs to find his little flower. Charlie Magne, Lilith and his rival's daughter has been around for a while._

_Alastor growls at the "happy" family. He would get his daughter back. She would die and come here. But he didn't know when. But first things first, he needs to get more power._


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akanthea decides to check out Hazbin Hotel, and maybe check in as well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boyfriends are asses when they breakup with you on new years...so that's why I haven't updated...

Akanthea Nightshade jerks awake. Another nightmare. Akanthea has had nightmares for the last 72 years ever since her father was sucked back into hell.

The first 5 years reassuring her that they would reunite and they could be a “family.” When she turned 16, Akanthea finally started fighting back in the nightmares and stopped calling Alastor Dad or Daddy and began to call him Alastor. So for the last 66 years, Alastor has come creeping into her nightmares, demanding that she come home, giving her hints where the gates of Hell were. She used these to go into Hell and find out what was going on and also discovered that she...changed whenever she went to hell. 

In the living world she looked like a normal human: black hair, pale skin, green eyes, and regular clothing: black jacket, pants, and boots with a pair of daggers in her jacket. Fortunately she appears like this in her dreams instead of her demonic form.

In hell she looked like a plant-shadow hybrid with a long black jacket that absorbed the shadows around her, yellowish green eyes which matched her gloves, light green skin, a dark green dress and leggings, and black-green hair with thorns woven into her hair which Akanthea found appropriate. She also had daggers, but they were like long thorns and she carried a vine that served as a whip.

There was also a long scar on the side of her face from when she got into a fight with some demon about drugs.

She went by Nightshade instead of Akanthea in hell. And thanks to the changes not only did look different, she sounded different too. Her voice was soft yet authoritative like an avalanche about to happen.

Memories of her dream seep into her mind and Akanthea is remembered of the cunning persuasion her father likes to do...

But last night (or this morning, whatever time it was right now), Alastor took a different approach...

 _Akanthea finds herself in the unfortunately familiar reds of Alastor’s hunting lodge. She hates red, which was why this was her least favorite place in hell. Red reminds her of the blood that Alastor spilled for_ her _sake..._

_Akanthea instinctively reaches for her daggers, but puts her hands to her sides since she doesn't have them here, as she faces Alastor who is dressed in his normal red attire with his staff._

_“Akanthea, my darkling!” Alastor crooned, his nauseating trademark smile on his face._

_“What do you want this time?” Akanthea demands, scowling._

_"Now, now my dear! Smile! You're never fully dressed without one!" Alastor sang, stroking her face._

_"Don't touch me!"_

_Other things she doesn't like: smiling and being touched, which is why she isn't a social person and keeps to herself._

_Alastor ignores Akanthea's attempts to push him away and continues to inspect his daughter for injuries._

_"I'm fine! Leave me alone, I don't want to be with you Alastor!" Akanthea snarls, pushing away from him._

_"You know that's not what you call me Akanthea!"_

_Akanthea hides her fear. Alastor only calls her by nicknames and other "endearments" even though he gave her the name Akanthea. He only calls her that when he's angry. But Akanthea doesn't care, she's not afraid of her father, not anymore._

_"Get out!" Akanthea screams._

_“No need to be so rude flower,” Alastor reprimands, coming towards her. “I just thought you might like to see your mother.”_

_Akanthea suppresses all of her emotions when her mother, now a demon, appears, bound, gagged, and bloodied. Alastor places his claws on Akanthea’s shoulders, forcing her to go forward and see all the things he's done._

_Her mother has changed from the beautiful woman she knew. While Evelyn's hair is still black it's murky like oil and so is the color of her blood which contrasts with the white of her skin. Like her "husband" she has yellow eyes but there's no madness in them only terror, sadness, and disbelief. Evelyn sends a clear message to her daughter: go._

_"Did you think all those times you've defied me, that you wouldn't get punished?" Alastor asks, shoving Akanthea against the wall with his powers. "Since we all know my darling poison flower that I will never harm you, I took it out on your mother!"_

_Akanthea can't hold back the look shock and horror that she gives her father._

_"I see this distresses you. It's alright darkling, Daddy's got you," Alastor says, holding her tight._

_Alastor cradles her like she's a child as he sits down and smiles at the terrified woman in front of them. A_ _kanthea struggles against her father but all her efforts are futile. Alastor somehow grins wider as he sends a jolt of electricity towards Evelyn who lets out a muffled scream. Akanthea can only watch as more electricity is sent through Evelyn, ripping at her flesh and lighting up her skeleton. Alastor stops after what seems to be hours._

_"And that's only a small show of the pain I have inflicted upon her my sweet," Alastor says, nuzzling Akanthea._

_"What do you want?" Akanthea demands, not looking at her father._

_"I want you here where I can protect you! What else would a father want?" Alastor questions, forcing his daughter to look at him. "You could have been here with me! I could have kept you safe! Do you think I don't know when you've been hurt?"_

_How has he known? Does he know about-?_

_"Working against several demons, who I hired to bring you here!"_

_Fuck, well he does. Great._

_"I've gained enough power to come for you and bring you here. I wonder what you'll look like here."_

_At least there's that! Akanthea starts to form a plan. She'll go to hell alright, just not with Alastor. She's going on her own._

_"If you try to run, to escape me, I will make you torture your mother, do you understand?" Alastor asks._

_"Yes," Akanthea answers._

_"Yes what?"_

_"Yes...Dad."_

_Alastor beams at her and Akanthea repressed the urge to attack him. Alastor flicks his wrist and Evelyn is gone and Akanthea is standing. He towers over her as he comes to her one last time._

_"You know I'm doing this because I love you, yes?"_

_"Yes."_

_Love? He doesn't love her? He can't. Alastor's version of love is corrupted by want and possessiveness. She'd rather have him try to kill her than want to keep her. Then she could at least not have these nightmares._

_"See you soon my darkling!"_

_And that's when Akanthea wakes up._

Akanthea is already dressed and reciting the ritual to go down as the sun comes up. She leaves a note saying she's in hell and that Alastor will have to find her if he wants her.

The familiar roar of flames and demonic screeches fill the air as Akanthea is sucked into hell once again...

When Alastor finds Akanthea's note, he laughs. His little girl wanted to play hide and seek, well then Alastor would certainly seek her out! All the power they could have when they took out the other demons, claiming their territories...they could be a family. A better family than Charlie Magne's!

Alastor laughs as he goes back down and tortures his wife.

"She's coming Evelyn. My little darkling is coming to daddy!" Alastor cackles over the woman's screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And I had to like double check my math on this, so I think I got it right...


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akanthea goes to hell and Vaggie and Angel Dust get stalked by a shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget the highway to hell when you have a portal!

“Take me to hell,” Akanthea whispers to the darkness of the forest, her voice taken by the wind.

Once she finishes saying those words a flash of red and black light blinds her and when it subsides, Akanthea sees a large circular portal, about fifty feet in diameter appear.

Akanthea swallows hard, clenching her hands into fists, digging in her nails into her hands. She doesn’t want to do this. She’s only doing this to get her mom out of Alastor’s grip. And take her to purgatory which was the best thing Akanthea could do for her mom. The rules and gates of the three different afterlives were different but only two could be entered by mortals who hadn’t died yet.

Akanthea stepped through the portal and found herself in the back of the I.M.P. building and that she had shifted into her demon form, her sickly yellow-green eyes scanning the area. Akanthea was now the plant-shadow demon Nightshade. After getting away from the building and from three imps dumping a human body, Akanthea joined the hordes of demons who were walking around. Akanthea went over to the drug vending machine and got Hero-In.

While she was walking off, she overheard someone talking about-

“The Radio Demon. He’s apparently back in action and helping that hell bitch Charlie with her shit Hazbin Hotel, to rehabilitate sinners,” a demon cackled to another.

The hotel to rehabilitate sinners? Her dad was helping with that?

“Like that would work!” the other agreed. “But why would the Radio Demon want to mess with Charlie? If he’s doing this to piss off her dad, all the exterminations are gonna look like a maid cleaning up a counter compared to what’s gonna happen.”

“Talk about being fucking paranoid. Also, that was a shitty comparison or was that an analogy? I couldn’t tell!”

“Shut up you jackass!”

The two demons began bickering and Akanthea sulked back to the main roads, taking the drugs as she went. Two small injections of orange fluid went into Akanthea’s bloodstream, causing a rush of adrenaline to go through her. As she walked through the streets demons looked at her walking near the Hazbin Hotel, watching her warily. Even though she wasn’t in hell that often, everyone here knew her as Nightshade, the demon who had no alliance to anyone and didn’t give a flying fuck about which territory was who’s if someone pissed her off. She’d destroy it either way.

As Akanthea got closer to the hotel, she froze.

Akanthea could feel Alastor in the hotel. She made sure to stay away from it though, noticing that his shadow was patrolling the place. She would have to go in there to warn Charlie what Alastor was capable of.

Charlie had it easy. While her dad cared about her, he let Charlie deal with her own problems instead of protecting her from them. Though what he did when he found out about Charlie’s plan to get rid of even more of his subjects out of hell, Akanthea doesn’t want to know. Akanthea would give anything to have a dad like that: caring but not smothering.

She notices the porn star Angel Dust and Charlie’s friend Vaggie walk out and watches Alastor’s shadow grin and follow them.

Oh fucking shit. That’s not good.

Meanwhile Vaggie and Angel Dust were unaware of the shadow and demon following them, and they began talking about Alastor. Vaggie, concerned and wary, and Angel Dust, annoyed and exasperated that they were having this conversation again.

“Hey, I know ya don’t trust the guy but at least everyone knows not to attack the hotel, right?” Angel Dust asks.

“There’s that, but what Alastor did proves my point! He’s a dark-” Vaggie begins.

“Force, blah blah blah. I get it,” Angel Dust interrupts. “But we’ve had some business. Ashley’s come in.”

“Ashely and Nifty don’t count. Husker especially doesn’t count since he’s the one drinking the cheap alcohol that Alastor keeps providing him with!”

“I will fucking kill you if you get rid of him. We need that. Not everything about this hotel needs to be angelic, we are in hell toots! Nothing in this infernal rotten cesspool is cute or angelic or innocent!”

“Fine! But-”

Vaggie stops when she sees her shadow melt in with another one. Angel Dust is at first confused at Vaggie’s expression but his expression goes from confusion to “Oh fuck!” in a matter of milliseconds.

They see their shadows forming a demon. The demon’s features rise from the shadows, forming a tall female figure with a dark jacket towers over them, a vine whip in hand, green skin looking sickly in the darkness. She smirks at the two of them, the scar on her face making it seem more sinister than usual.

“What’s up?” Nightshade asks as their shadows return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Immediate Murder Professionals will only make cameo appearances! I love them to pieces but that would be too much for this fic.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie and Angel Dust are confronted by the notorious Nightshade...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this yesterday, but crap got in the way. So here’s the chapter!

Vaggie tensed, wishing that she had her spear, or any weapon, with her so she could defend herself. Against a regular (suicidal) opponent, Vaggie had an advantage against them since she was fast, tactical, and could use anything as a weapon. Angel Dust had the multiple arms and was skilled in using firearms (meaning guns, but sometimes he did use arms on fire) and bombs.

The wickedly sharp thorn daggers on Nightshade’s sides are dangerous, but not as dangerous as the demon herself.

Judging by Angel’s expression, it was clear that he knew Nightshade as well. Usually she would have grated him about knowing a demon younger than Alastor, but Nightshade was a special case. Nightshade had openly fought against the Exterminators and fought until neither the Exterminators or herself could fight any longer. Vaggie hadn’t witnessed this, she had only heard the whispers. Many sinners believed that she was more powerful than all of the old overlords, including the Radio Demon himself.

Also it didn’t help that she was a free spirit, killing whenever and whenever she pleased. She was known for getting in the middle of turf wars, beat both sides then burn the territory so that no one could claim it.

Nightshade smirked at them.

“I’m not here to kill you or to join the small amount of sinners in the Hazbin Hotel nor would I willingly trap myself with the Radio Demon like you two and Charlie Magne,” Nightshade drawled, her voice was a soft rustle, like the beginning of an avalanche.

“How-never mind,” Angel Dust said, bored. 

After Alastor’s triumph over Sir Pentious certainly gave them attention, but now demons were more wary of what they said about the Hazbin Hotel.

“Yeah, Alastor’s not a fun one to have around and considering that Charlie got him out of hiding is a remarkable, yet horrifying, feat,” Nightshade continued. “Which means this is trouble for all of you.”

“What do you mean?” Vaggie demands. “How is this trouble for us?”

“Alastor, as you probably know, doesn’t give two shits about the hotel, what he wants is entertainment and power to get up in the living world,” Nightshade continued.

“Why the fuck would anyone want to go back there?” Angel Dust asked.

“Think of what most demons would do, and scrap it all. Alastor doesn’t want more power, he doesn’t want to kill anyone or destroy anything, what he wants is his most treasured possession in his claws forever.”

“And what would that be?”

Nightshade grinned, which sent a cold shiver down Vaggie’s back because she was reminded of Alastor’s insane grin.

“His daughter. Akanthea.”

“The Strawberry Pimp has a kid?” Angel Dust said. “I thought it would’ve been someone else, like a lover or whatever.”

“No, there’s no one but her that he wants.”

“Isn’t she supposed to be dead?” Vaggie asked. “If she was born in the 1920s, then-”

“She was born in 1938 and she’s a halfling, half demon and half human,” Nightshade interrupted.

“I thought those were made up, wishful thinking of other overlords. A cambion is too powerful to have, even in hell!” Vaggie said.

“How are they so powerful?” Angel Dust asked, clearly bored with the conversation.

Vaggie’s eye twitched.

“How the _fuck_ do you not know _any_ of this?” Vaggie demanded. “You’ve been here longer than me!”

“Like I said, not interested in politics. Which means I’m not interested in most crap that happens here. If it doesn’t involve porn, drugs, liquor, gambling, or turf wars, count me out,” Angel Dust said.

“But you know me,” Nightshade noted.

Angel Dust smirked.

“Sure do sweetheart. You pissed off my girl Cherri, which is why you have that scar,” Angel Dust said, pointing to the wicked scar on the side of her face.

Nightshade smirked and nodded.

“Tell her I said hi.”

“Ya here to get some turf?”

“Ha. No.”

“Can we get back on topic?” Vaggie demanded.

“Sure. What else is there you want to know?” Nightshade answered.

“What about the mother? Did Alastor care about her?” Vaggie asked.

“No. He used Akanthea’s mother after she had summoned him to help her get rid of her problems. Alastor agreed with the condition that she’d be the mother of his child,” Nightshade said. “He didn’t give a damn about the fact that he had daughter. In fact, that’s what he wanted.”

“Should I ask why?” Vaggie muttered.

“Charlie. Or more accurately, her dad. Alastor wanted to prove to himself, and to the Devil himself eventually, is that he could do something like him but better. Only instead of bringing her down here after killing her mother, a group of ‘demon hunters’ sent him back and since then he’s been trying to claw his way up top.”

“How does the hotel and Charlie fit into this?”

“The Hazbin Hotel not only gives him entertainment, it also gives him access to other demons and their misery, which he takes and uses it as fuel. Every demon that you have, he feeds off of their addiction, insecurities, and obsessions. Or at least, that’s how I’ve observed how he gets his power.”

“And you want to stop him,” Vaggie guessed.

“I want to help his daughter get her mother out of this cesspool. She’s down here, but I don’t know where. I’ve also been blocking the two of you from Alastor, so he doesn’t know you know about his child. I highly suggest that you don’t mention it to him.”

“Fine. Are you going to be stopping by?” Vaggie asked.

“I might.”

“Should we trust you?”

“ _ **Definitely not**_ ,” Nightshade rasped, eyes flashing to black. 

With one final wicked smile, Nightshade sunk into the shadows and was gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the real fun begins...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie meets Nightshade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Charlie chapter. She’s a hard character to write for me which is why this chapter may be bad.

Two days later, Charlie was looking at her phone, disappointed that her mom hadn’t called yet. Charlie forced herself to think positive. Her mom was probably going through her work so that she could visit Charlie! Yeah, that was it...

Charlie forced herself to start thinking about the hotel and the progress they had made.

She was a little miffed that Alastor had changed it from the Happy Hotel to the Hazbin Hotel, but figured that the new name was more fitting. Alastor had certainly helped her get the hotel up and running. They had one new addition to their group: Ashley, a slightly eccentric demon who laughed at Alastor’s dad jokes. Vaggie had commented that if she didn’t know Alastor had been sent to hell for killing people, he would have been sent to hell for his dad jokes.

Alastor wasn’t here, he wouldn’t appear for awhile. Where he went Charlie didn’t know and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. While Vaggie had openly shown her distrust towards the demon, Charlie hid hers. Yes she knew the stories about Alastor. Hearing stories about demons had filled all of her life, told to her by her father. Of course, none of them could overpower Charlie or her parents.

While Charlie had her concerns about Husker running the front desk while drinking the cheap booze that Alastor was giving him, she was at least relieved that there was someone to greet guests. As for cleaning, Nifty was certainly up to the task. No mess, vermin, or dust was safe from Nifty’s constant cleaning. Angel Dust was well, Angel Dust. He did random things at times which often led him into going back to fighting, cursing, and drinking. Vaggie was still the same, paranoid and concerned for Charlie.

Charlie didn’t need to be protected. She could fight her own battles, but preferred to reason before she threw a punch.

Her dad never intervened because he was trying to toughen her up. She had more power than she knew what to do with, but Charlie rarely used it.

What her dad thought about what she was doing, trying to rehabilitate sinners, she was afraid to know. Her dad loved her, Charlie knew that for certain, but he was hardly there when she was a kid and she often spent time with her mom.

Lilith had encouraged Charlie to go for her dreams and told her that even though most of the demons hid it, they all had some sliver of good inside of them. Her mom also told her stories about how she met her dad and her life before she came to hell and had Charlie. While some demons hated their early lives in hell, Charlie had enjoyed hers because of her mother. Lilith had found the hotel abandoned and gave it to Charlie as a present and a way for her to meet people. Charlie walked down to see that Husker was gone from the front desk and the lobby was empty save for Vaggie who was sharpening her spear.

“Where’s Husker?” Charlie asked.

“Hungover with Angel Dust,” Vaggie answered, annoyed.

“Did they go drinking last night?”

“Did they ever!” Vaggie huffed. “They both had the bright idea of out-drinking each other, which failed. Nifty has been keeping them both in the bathroom so they don’t wander around the hotel, breaking and reaching on things.”

“Okay then.”

Nifty was now cleaning in the lobby, sanitising everything without mercy.

Vaggie seemed that she wanted to tell Charlie something but then apparently thought not to. Charlie suppressed a frown. What could Vaggie be hiding now? Before Charlie could ask, someone entered the hotel. Charlie heard the familiar growl of Vaggie as she got ready for a potential fight. Nifty however squeaked and hid in a far corner. Charlie had to hide her own reaction when she saw Nightshade at her door. In her lobby.

“Charlie Magne, I’m glad I caught you without your sponsor here,” Nightshade said, smirking.

“What do want Nightshade?” Charlie asked calmly.

“Rude, but understandable. So, is there somewhere we can talk privately?” Nightshade asked.

While Charlie wanted to tell Nightshade to leave, she nodded and began leading her to a private conference room. Nightshade smirked at Nifty’s scared reaction to bed and looked at Vaggie.

“I would check on the two retching if I were you,” Nightshade told Vaggie offhandedly.

Vaggie stiffened but went upstairs. Once they reached the conference room, Charlie closed the door and looked at Nightshade who sat down and sighed.

“I’ve blocked off this room from Alastor. He knows we’re both here but he can’t hear anything and can’t use his shadow to eavesdrop on us,” Nightshade informed her.

“Why?”

“I know what you’re thinking Charlie,” Nightshade began, ignoring her question. “You think I’m just another demon telling you that this hotel will never work and that Alastor is using you and has no good in him.”

“Well, aren’t you?” Charlie demanded.

“Only the last one. There are some demons who do want to change. But let’s get back to Alastor. You’ve heard the stories. You know what he’s done Charlie, but you still believe that he has some good in him.”

“He might have-”

“He doesn’t!”

Nightshade stood up, yellow-green eyes turning to black, clenching her hands. Charlie took a step back. Nightshade sighed once again.

“He doesn’t have any good in him, trust me. I can tell you the story, but I need you to swear that you won’t tell anyone, especially Alastor what I’ve told you,” Nightshade said.

Charlie hesitated, which made Nightshade smile.

“Fine. I swear. What do you know?”

“Alastor was a radio announcer in the 1920s and he was very charismatic and charming to everyone he met. People trusted him and they were willing to do anything for him. One thing that people immediately noticed about him was that he never stopped smiling. Alastor believed, believes that not smiling shows weakness. That’s how he got all of his victims, all female. He was a murderer and a cannibal. He had killed hundreds of women before one escaped and told what he had done. He killed the woman and then he was shot to death while he ran from the police. When he came down here, Alastor immediately started getting a subdivision of the Pentagram but then he stopped when he saw a family. Your family.”

“My family? How do we play into this?”

“Your family, your father to be precise, had a child. Something Alastor always wanted, but could never have. Alastor wanted a child that could rival you, that could help him. Having a pure demon child appealed to him, but the child wouldn’t have enough power. Also Alastor feared that his child would be hunted if it lived in hell. So he created a portal to the living world and went to a woman who needed his help. A deal was made and so was a child. A daughter. His Akanthea. His daughter. For 10 years, Alastor was patient and allowed the mother to keep the child in the living world even though War was happening. Then his daughter ran off, chased by men who saw the demon in her. Alastor killed the mother for her negligence and killed the men who tried to hurt his daughter. His daughter was spared from being in hell by a group of ‘demon hunters’ who took her in and trained her. She’s here in hell now and-”

“Hello everyone!”

Nightshade went rigid as the familiar warble of Alastor came close.

“Charlie? Are you up here?”

“Shit. Our time is up,” Nightshade hisses. “The wards won’t hold for long. I’ll tell you what else I know soon.”

Before Charlie could say anything Alastor opened the door. Nightshade sent Charlie a message: run.

Charlie turned to leave and tensed as she heard the beginning of an argument. One thing Charlie wanted to know was how Nightshade knew so much of Akanthea’s story... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading that train wreck that passed for writing. If you liked it, please leave me a comment and kudos.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor confronts Nightshade...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This 👏 is 👏 a 👏 train 👏 wreck 👏 of 👏 a 👏 chapter!👏  
> Enjoy...

Alastor looked at Nightshade, holding back his anger, his urge and desire to inflict pain, and his desire to-

“Well, are we going to stand here all day or are we going to do something?” Nightshade snapped, scowling.

Oh, he wanted to fight. He wanted to get his anger, his pain, out. He wanted to teach her a lesson for coming in on his territory, but sadly he couldn’t. It wouldn’t help him find his daughter any faster, just hinder him.

Alastor had failed to find his Akanthea earlier and when he had been informed by Nifty that Nightshade was here, he rushed to be here to find her speaking with Charlie. What, he didn’t know. Alastor was guessing Nightshade was spreading stories about him and placing doubts into Charlie. But that wasn’t it, judging from the look on Charlie’s face. Did Nightshade know about Akanthea? Alastor dispelled that theory, no one in hell (other than himself and Evelyn), knew about his daughter and he wanted to keep it that way! But still what-

“Well?” Nightshade demanded, jarring him out of his thoughts.

“You should smile,” Alastor suggested. “Because you know-”

“‘You’re never fully dressed without one?’” Nightshade finished. “Honestly Alastor, your phrases get boring after awhile. Pick another one or even better, stop bothering with them.”

Tense silence filled the room. Alastor didn’t have time for this, he had to keep looking for his Akanthea.

“What were you talking to Charlie about?” Alastor asked, wanting to get this over with. 

Nightshade smirked.

“Girl stuff. So I wouldn’t ask Charlie about it,” Nightshade responded carelessly.

Liar, at least about that first part...

Charlie, damn her, would never tell him. Charlie respected the privacy of others and no doubt Nightshade got Charlie to swear that she wouldn’t tell anyone what they were talking about. What were they talking about and why was Nightshade here?

Alastor beloved after the public and humiliating defeat of Sir Pentious, all of the overlords had stayed clear of the hotel wether by their own choice or by Alastor’s. But it didn’t seem that Nightshade was after the hotel, she just wanted to stir up trouble. Judging by the look on her face, Alastor deduced that Nightshade had completed her mission.

“If we aren’t going to talk, I will just leave,” Nightshade answered, clearly bored with their interaction. 

Alastor bared his teeth into an even wider smile as he stepped closer to her, towering over her. The air became full of static and Alastor’s eyes switched from yellow to radio dials.

“ **Tell me what you were talking about and why you are here right now Nightshade!** ” Alastor growled, voice becoming distorted and filled with static.

Instead of looking properly scared and immediately confessing of what she was talking about with Charlie like any other demon would have done, Nightshade cackled with amusement. Alastor blinked, confused.

“Was that supposed to scare me Alastor?” Nightshade demanded, stepping forward. “You don’t scare me. You don’t intimidate me either, you have no power over me!”

_So much for that plan then,_ Alastor thought as Nightshade melted into shadows.

Akanthea dissolved into shadows, mentally cursing. She slid against the dark trunk of the tree behind her, the brave, snarky facade wearing off.

That had been too close. If she had been caught by her father, if he had recognized her, all of her planning would have been for nothing. Akanthea didn’t want to reveal herself like this to Alastor like this, in her demon form. Alastor had spoken to her at length about what her demon form could be.

No matter what you will look like my darkling, you will spark terror in every pathetic demon in this cesspool! Alastor had laughed, stroking her hair.

When she went to hell for the first time and Akanthea had transformed into her demon form, she was surprised to say the least. She used her last name, Nightshade, as her alias in hell and since she never told Alastor that she had changed her name, he would never suspect that Nightshade was her. Nor would he feel guilt that he was attacking Nightshade.

“Nightshade” had already told parts of her story to Vaggie, Angel Dust, and now Charlie, putting in more reasons to not trust Alastor even more.

Akanthea reappeared at the edge of the woods, the darkness and plants helping her hide. Akanthea followed the pull that she had been experiencing ever since she had first stepped foot into hell. Akanthea walked deeper into the woods, keeping her daggers out. After walking for several hours, Akanthea found it:

Alastor’s hunting lodge.

It was a dark mirror of the one Alastor had when he was alive which Akanthea had visited several times in New Orleans, gathering more information about Alastor when he was alive and how to permanently keep him in hell. The large, two story black brick lodge towered in front of her. The dark brass gates barring her entry, the windows were dark except for the bottom left one where a fire was lit. Akanthea felt a familiar presence in that room. Her mother.

Akanthea wanted to run in there and get her mother out, but-Akanthea didn’t dare venture any closer. Only people Alastor invited could enter...or those who shared his bloodline.

As Akanthea considered that it might be worth it to enter, she saw Alastor enter the gates. The gates closed themselves behind him.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun to post...if you liked this work, don’t forget to leave a comment and kudos!


End file.
